Onboarding Without a Career Ladder
Decades ago, onboarding with a career ladder was like being given a treasure map. You start here, X marks the spot, and here’s your dotted-line path to get there.
Today, onboarding without a career ladder is like being given a plain map. The treasure is for you to figure out. The way there? …you, again.
You’d be forgiven for finding this completely and utterly overwhelming.
So, the first step in onboarding without a career ladder is to take a deep breath and give yourself some slack for feeling uncertain.
Those of us who have figured out what our treasure is and have marked up our maps can tell you there’s nothing like building yourself a career that fits you perfectly.
But it takes time- maybe even years. And it takes patience. And it takes optimism.
When you onboard into a new role early in your career, you’re given a fresh, shiny, unmarked map. That map (aka your career) will be what you make of it.
Here are five ways to use the map to your advantage in your first year:
Learn the map, back to front. Mastering your environment is your first priority. Every role, company, and industry has its unique dynamics, norms, and quirks. Getting to know them early on will put you far ahead of the crowd.
Orient yourself around the main landmarks. Identify the elements that will define success in your role. Learn how these elements work, who the key players are, and what kind of effort gets rewarded. Just like knowing key landmarks on a map, this knowledge will give you a sense of direction as you navigate further out in your company and industry.
Seek out the unmarked places on the map. Some of the most valuable insights, in both treasure hunting and your career, can be found when you’re willing to explore beyond the obvious. These look like uncovering unspoken team dynamics, happening upon informal networks, or spotting opportunities that aren’t clearly visible. Learning to see what others won’t be brave or curious enough to look for will help you immeasurably.
Connect with other people who have brand-new maps. You’re not alone on this journey, far from it, and there’s a lot of upside in finding fellow travelers to share information with. Together, you can explore, take risks, and help each other navigate tricky, treacherous, or uncertain terrain.
Learn from those who have already found their treasure. Look for people who have built successful careers out of blank maps. Let them share their experiences with you so that you can understand what other versions of success, failure, growth, and exploration look like. What you will learn is that treasure, and the journey to it, look different for everyone willing to bravely carve out the path for themselves.
As you take your maps and get to treasure hunting, remember this: every single step is progress. If treasure hunts were only about finding the treasure, those movies would be five minutes long. The career treasure map isn’t about finding the treasure immediately, it’s about the process of discovering what the treasure looks like for you. Each role you take, skill you learn, and relationship you build will add more detail to your map. That overwhelmingly blank, shiny map will turn into a well-worn landscape of landmarks and experiences you know well. When you finally decide what the treasure is, you’ll have plenty of ideas for paths to get there.